[HOW TO] Script Filters: Reusing a single script filter or chaining multiple together

[verbbis]

While the new Alfred 3 release is great (converted me into a Mega Supporter) and I'm still in the process of figuring out what to do with all the new toys, I'm curious why there isn't a native workflow action which would re-query with the given feedback and/or variables. Especially now that we have all these utilities to manipulate the stream.

 

These types of "looping" workflows with Script Filters are pretty common and extremely powerful. It would be nice to be able to get rid of the (flickering) Applescript workaround.

Edited June 1, 2016 by verbbis

[deanishe]

You can get rid of the flickering in 3 by selecting "Don't close Alfred" on a connection.

But yeah, it's annoying that you still have to resort to AppleScript just to get Alfred to open the same Script Filter again.

External Triggers, the official solution to this scenario, are an awful UX dead end, from which there's no way back into Alfred proper.

Alfred still doesn't make the keyword used available to the workflow, either, so you have to hardcode the keyword in AppleScript.

[h2ner]

Hello jdfwarrior,

 

Thanks for sharing. The link looks to be down. If you could repost it, that'd be great.

 

I'm just getting started with workflows and the idea of reusing one script filter looks like exactly what I need. In my case, I'm using AppleScript to get info from the currently running app, and then doing SQL queries against "{query}". Saving AppleScript obtained info to a file seems like the only way I can think of as to avoid the uneeded rerunning of AppleScript.

[rhyd]

Hello David (@jdfwarrior),

 

I'd be interested to see how you've chained 2 script filters together. I'm struggling to work this out so if you're able to repost your workflow that would be great.

 

Thanks,

Rhyd

 

https://github.com/rhydlewis/search-omnifocus

 

 

[deanishe]

@rhyd I think David's chaining technique is out of date. It's for Alfred 2, which didn't allow you to connect Script Filters together.

 

Alfred 3 does. Simply drag a connection from one to the other.